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Congress
To Seek $100 Billion In Medicare Savings

While
physicians are hoping Congress will repair their broken
payment formula and avert cuts averaging 5 percent for the
next half dozen years, Congressional aides are looking to
Medicare for steep savings.

Congressional
aides are saying they want to see $100 billion in savings
from Medicare this year, to provide more money for President
Bush's priorities, says Washington attorney James Pyles
with Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville. Bush is imposing
a strict spending formula, allocating as much money as possible
to Iraq and Social Security plans.

"It
will be the rare and lucky provider segment that escapes
cuts," says Pyles. However, he adds that physicians
probably will have that enviable good fortune because of
the well-known problems with their Sustainable Growth Rate
formula.